Data gathering in the field is something that has been occurring for centuries. Scientists, technologists and other research personnel gather environmental data, scientific data, and other data points for their research. Workers gather data that is used by their head offices to generate orders, gather billing data, and other business related activities. While field data gathering is widespread, in quite a few cases, it can be quite tedious and, depending on the circumstances, confusing.
As an example, sales people who take down orders while out in the field may need to take multiple points of data, some of which may be required for the head office to process the order.
Taking down the relevant data on paper may require repeat visits to the customer, especially if all of the required information has not been obtained. Paper based order sheets, with specific areas requiring information, may be used but such measures are not environmentally friendly. As well, there is still no guarantee that the person in the field will gather the correct data even if using such order sheets.
Similar to the above, researchers out in the field usually need to gather multiple data points. As an example, a researcher may need to gather the ambient air temperature, the moisture content of the air, along with other data points. However, if the researcher is not fully briefed on a project, he or she may not gather data points that might, in the end, prove to be the most important data.
The boom in smart mobile devices may alleviate the pain of data gathering by providing the data gatherers in the field with applications that require the data gatherers to obtain specific data points. However, if the data requirements change, these applications generally need to be rewritten and retooled before they can be redeployed in the field. The time lag caused by the reprogramming and/or retooling may mean lost productivity or, at the very least, less than optimal productivity.
Based on the above, there is a need for systems and methods that alleviate, if not overcome the shortcomings of the prior art.